What We Search For
Page 9
“You can stay as long as you want. It’ll be fun!” Added Amanda, sitting closer to me and putting her hand on my arm. This was way too confusing for me in my current exhausted state. I was already dreaming up fantasies.
Managing to keep myself together for a while longer, Amanda must have noticed me nodding off. “You need some sleep. You’re about to collapse on top of me!” She said quietly. It was true. My head was heavier than ever.
“That was the plan.” I said with a grin.
“Oh really?” She replied, arching an eyebrow, “You’ll have to do better than falling asleep on me!” She said with a laugh. Rachel nodded her agreement and joined in with a laugh of her own.
“I’ll keep that in mind! Well, I wanted to stay up and talk to you both more, but honestly it’s getting the better of me.” I said. Amanda stood up.
“Come on then. Go get some sleep. We can always talk when you’re refreshed.” She said seriously, taking my hand. She led me down the corridor and we entered what looked like a study room.
Inside held a futon in the corner and a computer desk against the wall. Unfolding the futon there were sheets and pillows already laid out for me. Wishing me a good night, Amanda left me to the room and I shut the door. Walking to the futon I collapsed fully clothed not caring in the slightest and I fell into a deep sleep.
Waking up early, I noticed every ache and pain in my body. Apparently, I had slept on the worst spot of the futon. A metal bar down the middle had caused the most pain, as I had slept directly on top of it. My legs hung over the edge as I tried to sit up and stretch, and my back protested. I needed a shower desperately.
Still groggy from my sleep and obvious jet lag, I found my towel after digging through my bag and opened the door quietly. Remembering from the quick tour I was given last night, I stumbled my way to the bathroom not even half aware of my surroundings.
I opened the door and stopped. A small light illuminated the room throwing shadows against the walls, and toweling herself off, Rachel stood naked in front of me. Gentle light and shadow dancing across her body only accentuated her curves as my exhausted mind took in the sight.
My eyes traced her body, until I realized what I was doing and turned around with a yelp and a quick, “Sorry!” My voice squeaking. I quickly went to close the door. Looking up as I was doing so Rachel took it all in stride.
“Oh no it’s my fault. I never lock the door it’s a bad habit. I’m about finished if you want the shower.” She said, as she wrapped the towel around herself. Coming over to me she put a hand on my back and ushered me into the room as she stepped behind me.
“Okay.” I said dumbly, still trying to wake myself up. The door closed and I moved over to the latch and locked it.
Looking at myself in the mirror I shook my head. After undressing, I hopped into the shower and let the water do its work. The fog covering my mind began to clear. I laughed at the childishness I had showed. Yelping and turning around with a squeaky ‘Sorry’ to boot. I dismissed the encounter as a mistake and finished up my shower.
Morning light was filtering its way through the blinds as I walked into the kitchen. It seemed Rachel had already left for work. I must have been in the shower for longer than I thought. Making myself at home I found some cereal and set to devouring a large bowl full and let my mind wander. Wondering what my future held, was one of my favourite new pastimes it seemed. I couldn’t help but think of where I was going to end up. I let go of the thought, and just looked forward to the time I would be spending here, and now.
Amanda emerged from her room and saw me sitting on the couch. “Morning!” She said. She was wearing Elmo PJ’s and looked ridiculously cute with her messy bed hair.
“Morning. Nice PJ’s!” I replied, motioning with a thumbs up. She looked down and laughed.
“I’ve had these for years. I just can’t seem to bring myself to get rid of them, and they are way too comfy!” She said rubbing her hands on the fabric. “Besides, Elmo rocks!” She added with a grin.
“You look good in them.” I said.
“Thanks! I’m going to have a shower. No peeking okay?” She said with humor in her voice. She knew!
“Peeking? I can’t promise anything.” I replied with a grin.
“Rachel sent me a text about your little encounter this morning.” She said, letting out a short laugh.
“Ah. That. In my defense the door was unlocked and I was half asleep. I only stared for a few minutes...” I replied holding my hands up in submission. A grin on my lips. Amanda was quick to laugh.
“She never locks the door. I’ve walked in on her plenty of times, and had an eye full on many occasions. Don't even worry about it.” She said, as she walked into the bathroom. Looking back, she poked her head out the door, “But don’t make a habit of it!” She started, “Staring for a few minutes…you’re terrible!” She said with a grin of her own. With that she vanished, as the door closed I chuckled and turned to watch TV.
Chapter Nine
Los Angeles turned out to be more fun than I had thought. The company I was in was helping, but it was cool to see some of the places you see in movies. Amanda took me to Santa Monica Place and on to Third Street Boulevard, which I couldn’t help but enjoy. Watching all the interesting and different people walking around was fun in itself. We did plenty of window shopping too, and Amanda pulled me into various shops.
“Does this make my ass look big?” Amanda said, as she turned holding a gaudy dress against herself.
“Massive!” I replied seriously.
“I can’t believe you would call my ass massive! You’re so mean!” She said, using a childish voice. Moving over to me with a pout she looked at me with her big eyes.
Watching as her eyes only seemed to widen, I tried to keep my face as serious as possible, but finally cracked, “Alright! Alright! Just stop, I can’t take it anymore!” I said, putting my hands in front of me, trying to block her pouting attack. I laughed as she swatted my hands away and continued to advance.
“You’re ass looks amazing! Happy?” I said, as I was backed into a corner. She leaned towards me with her big eyes and looked like she was about to cry.
“You’re just saying that.” She stuttered between sobs.
“What? No! Seriously! You look amazing in anything.” I said with a worried look. Her bottom lip quivered and she blinked. Looking me dead in the eye she pecked me on the lips with a kiss.
“Much better.” She said, spinning around laughing. “You’re too easy James!” She added, still laughing as she replaced the dress.
“What am I meant to do against a face that cute?” I asked, walking over to join her.
“Not a thing!” She replied happily.
We looked around for hours enjoying each other’s company. We walked from store to store stopping at times to watch street performers. Nudging one another whenever someone interesting walked by, which seemed to happen frequently in LA.
Our day was over quicker than I thought, and soon we were walking through the front door. Cheeks hurting from laughing so much, we made our way to the lounge room and joined Rachel, who sat cross legged with a bowl of cereal in hand.
“Hey guys, how was your day?” She asked, as she noticed us coming in.
“Great! We went down to Santa Monica Place and Third Street Boulevard. Was a lot of fun. So many strange people in LA though.” I said, still impressed.
“Tell me about it.” Rachel replied.
“So there was this one guy, he looked li-” I started slowly.
“Not literally you jackass!” Rachel said, throwing a cushion at my face. Catching it just in time I looked over at Amanda and winked.
“But she said…?” I added, utter confusion in my voice.
“I know. She’s just mean. Don’t worry about her.” Amanda replied, patting me on the cheek.
We both laughed as I threw the pillow back at Rachel. “We did some shopping and just walked around a lot. I showed James around a bit, but w
e’re not in a huge rush since he’ll be here for a while. Plenty of time to see other things.” Amanda added.
“Sounds like fun!” Rachel replied. “Do you want to go out tonight? I’ve got the day off tomorrow.” She added excitedly. I looked across to Amanda and shrugged.
“I’m happy with whatever.” I said.
“Sure why not! I’ve taken a few days off to welcome you here so let’s do it. It’ll be fun!” Amanda agreed.
“Yay!” Rachel cheered, as she made her way from the couch to the kitchen to put away her empty bowl. “I’m going to have a shower then. I’ll leave the door open for you James!” She laughed and dashed down the corridor.
I looked over at Amanda who seemed to be studying a fingernail with a slight crease showing on her forehead. “When should we head out? I’ll probably need a shower too after all our walking.” I said, Amanda looked up from her study.
“Oh definitely.” She replied, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
“Real mature.” I replied, poking my tongue out in reply. She smiled at that, and I flashed her a grin.
“Probably not for a couple of hours, we’ll need to get ready anyway, so that will take some time.” She replied, I leaned towards her and she looked up at me, getting closer until I was staring her in the eye a hands distance away.
“I’m just glad you didn’t buy that dress.” I said, as I pecked her on the nose, “Your ass might not have fit through the door.” I added, as I laughed and hopped out of her reach. Jumping off of the couch.
“You…!” She yelled, chasing me around the room. She caught me and locked her arms around me. We wrestled and she moved us back towards the couch. Pushing me down, she fell on top of me.
She looked into my eyes, and I noticed a playfulness that swept across her face. Suddenly she buried her hands into my side. Throwing myself backwards I tried to escape. Not able to move I returned the gesture. She squealed as I found the best spot.
“Stop! Pl-ease!” She stuttered and gasped, as she laughed. Wrapping my arms around her gently, I kissed her softly on the lips and smiled at her.
“If you say so.” I said, still smiling. She was still on top of me. My heartbeat increased as I watched her.
Looking down at me, she smiled in return and our lips met once more. Our kiss lingered as her hands ran across my shoulders and down my back. I held her close as I ran my hands down her sides and across her hips. The shower door opened and Rachel walked into the room wearing just her towel. She glanced at us and smiled.
“Should I give you guys some time alone?” She said, laughing. Turning around she walked to her room. Amanda smiled and slowly got off of me.
“I better go get ready if we’re going out, I’ll have the next shower.” She said happily as she stood up. My heart was still beating furiously.
Amanda finished her shower and I went to have mine. She smiled coyly as she passed me in the corridor, and I returned the smile.
We were ready to go. Amanda hadn’t lied. The girls had taken far too long to get ready but when they each emerged, I was stunned. Seeing these two beautiful ladies dressed up was a sight to behold.
I had seen Amanda dressed to go out before, but not like this. Both wore short dresses. Amanda’s was black, and Rachel’s was red. Each in heels with their hair done to perfection.
In comparison I was almost under dressed in my dark navy jeans and white button up shirt. I was going to be the envy of every man in the club if I was walking in with these two beautiful women on my arms.
“Wow-ee!” I called out and whistled. “Rachel you look amazing!” I said, and trailed off as I looked at Amanda. “Not bad.” I added dismissively. Rachel laughed as Amanda’s mouth opened in shock. “You’re such a smart ass!” She yelled, as she took off a heel and launched it at me. Dodging I laughed gently,
“I’m sorry, I had to. You look fantastic.” I said seriously. Amanda narrowed her eyes waiting for me to say anything else. When I remained silent she nodded her head in satisfaction and retrieved her missing shoe, elbowing me in the side as she passed.
Tonight could be interesting, I said to myself as we stepped out of the taxi. Making our way to the line, I noticed it wasn’t very large yet as it was still relatively early. Instead of lining up however, each of the girls went up to greet the bouncer by name, and we walked straight in.
It never left a nice taste in my mouth when I skipped lines, but my extreme dislike for them helped balance my feelings. Once inside I realized just how big the place was. It wasn’t packed by any means, but there were still people everywhere.
The music was pumping. It looked like my first night out in LA was going to be a good one. I ordered drinks for the three of us and we sat down at a booth to enjoy ourselves. Amanda and Rachel shared gossip to which I nodded and smiled, and we ordered more and more drinks.
Rachel stood up suddenly, and grabbed at both Amanda and I. “Dance time!” She proclaimed, as she dragged us out to the dance floor. It was a circular floor in the middle of the club designed so everyone sitting could see what was going on in the middle. I had to admit it was pretty cool.
Dancing was never my strong suit, but I knew how to have a good time. We danced together as the place filled up, and the girls decided it would be funny to dance around me. Amanda in front and Rachel behind. To my shock and enjoyment they rubbed against me without a care.
Looking around I could tell I was drawing attention. Having these two ladies appear to be all over me didn’t seem to bode well for some of the jocks of the LA scene.
It wasn’t long before the first attempts were made to draw them away from me. Not wanting to ignite anything I continued dancing, and let the girls deal with their new ‘friends’. Rachel clearly wasn’t interested in one guy who had come to talk to her and was doing everything but telling him flat out she wasn’t interested. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to be getting the message.
Amanda was faring better as she spoke to a short stocky guy in a t-shirt that was far too small for him. His heavily greased hair did not move at all. He soon gave up and moved on to a new ‘target’.
Returning my attention to Rachel I could see the guy was becoming a problem. He was now holding her arm while looming over her as he spoke. I heard, “Come on baby! Just one dance that’s all.” The guy was trying to convince her.
“I told you no. I’m not interested. I’m dancing with my friends.” Rachel said, while motioning to Amanda and me.
The guy looked over and saw me watching the exchange. He was clearly drunk. His eyes were watery and didn’t appear to be focusing too well.
“What? You’d rather dance with this idiot?” He said directly to me. Ignoring the remark, I stepped a little bit closer but not trying to provoke. It was bothering me he hadn’t let her go yet.
“Yes that’s right. I’d dance with him over you every day of the week. Now let me go.” She said, as she tried to pry her arm from his hand. His grip remained firm as he looked from her to me and back.
“No way! This lanky guy? Come on, dance with me babe.” He said, as he moved between Rachel and me.
Amanda was paying full attention since the greasy guy with the child sized shirt had left her alone. She made her way over to me and was beginning to understand what was going on. She stepped over to where Rachel stood.
“Let her go you dick!” She said angrily. Rachel was still trying to get free. Enough was enough. The guy was becoming a hassle. Walking over to him, I put my hand on his shoulder.
“Come on man, she said no already.” I said seriously.
He turned around, and in a flurry he swung at me. His fist connected to the side of my head, and luckily brushed upwards instead of connecting with its full force. Still stunned, I fell backwards and landed on my ass. The hit had hurt like hell, and my eyes were instantly filled with water while my head spun as I tried to shake it off.
I heard screaming and yelling all the while I sat on the floor. My head and ass in pain. There was activity all a
round me and I could hardly focus on anything. Still shocked from being struck so suddenly, I barely noticed Amanda and Rachel were next to me.
They were saying something and trying to help me up. My head started to clear slightly and their words became intelligible. “Are you okay?” They were saying as I stumbled and just managed to make it to my feet. The girls took my arms over each of their shoulders and did their best to support me with hands on my sides.
“I’m okay.” I mumbled.
Not much time had passed since I had been hit. There were people everywhere on the dance floor and the guy who hit me was still there with a smug look on his face. He had been pulled off of me by people all around us, but no bouncer had seen the altercation. People were starting to let him go and he looked like he was ready for more.
“Come on, lets go sit down. I’ll get you a glass of water and some ice for your head.” Amanda said, as the girls led me off the dance floor.
“Hey!” I heard shouted from behind us. I groaned as I didn’t want to deal with the idiot, let alone get in a fight with him. Sure he hit me, but I was the better man and could walk away. “I’m talking to you!” I heard over my shoulder. He was coming after us.
“Leave us alone!” Rachel said, as we continued walking.
“Not until I get that dance.” He said, now standing right behind us.
He was one persistent fuck. My head hurt like hell and I was getting pissed off. I didn’t want to fight in front of either of the girls so we kept walking, until a hand latched onto my shirt and pulled hard. My top button popped off, and I heard a ripping noise. Turning around and letting go of Amanda and Rachel I looked him in the eye. “Mate. Leave us alone. She doesn’t want to dance, and I don’t want to fight. Piss off.” I snarled.
This time not turning my back to him, I walked backwards with my hands held in front of me showing him I had no desire to fight.
“Mate?” He laughed, “You a fucking Aussie? Mate?” He said, as he accentuated and slurred the word. “You trying to steal our girls?” He added. It seemed he wanted any excuse at all to show off his manliness.